Introductory Biology Laboratory

BIOLOGY 2281
Fall 2008
Class Information
Lecture: Friday: 1:30-2:20pm at FN 2.102
Lab: Monday or Tuesday at MP 2.202. See Table below:
Day of the Section # Time Instructor
Week
Monday 001 8:30 am – 11:20 am Dr. Lin
Monday 002 11:30 am – 2:20 pm Dr. Lin
Monday 003 2:30 pm – 5:20 pm Dr. Zhou
Monday 501 5:30 pm – 8:20 pm Dr. Zhou
Tuesday 004 8:30 am – 11:20 am Dr. Lin

Instructors Contact Information

• Dr. Wenju Lin, wenju@utdallas.edu
• Dr. Alice Zhou, zxz051000@utdallas.edu
Instructor Office hours and location:
• Dr. Lin: Tuesday 11:10 am – 12:00pm at MP2.202
• Dr. Zhou: Monday 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm at MP2.202
Your Section’s Teaching Assistants
Name Email Address

COURSE PRE-REQUISITES: BIOL 2311

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The primary goal of this semester-long course is to provide you with opportunities to learn
bioinformatics and various laboratory skills and techniques used in molecular biology. Lectures
discuss the theoretical aspects of the experiments carried out in the laboratory. Each laboratory
experience builds or interconnects with the others and seeks a balance between biological content
and conceptual understanding. The curriculum is tailored to the mission and strengths of the
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Texas at Dallas.

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES

Objectives: The goal of this course is to give students opportunities for hands-on learning of
biological principles. This course teaches students the basic concepts of bioinformatics; the
microbiological concepts and techniques such as microscopy and aseptic handling of
microorganisms; bacterial transformation; eukaryotic cell divisions; biochemical concepts and
techniques such as properties and identification of macromolecules, determination of the rate of an
enzyme-catalyzed reaction and protein gel electrophoresis; DNA-centered molecular biology
principles and techniques including polymerase chain reaction, restriction digestion, plasmid
mapping and DNA agarose gel electrophoresis. Each laboratory experience builds or
interconnects with the others and seeks a balance between biological content and conceptual
understanding.

Outcomes: Students will therefore:

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 1. Be able to define, explain, and give examples of the basic concepts in bioinformatics, structure
and properties of biologically important macromolecules, enzyme kinetics, eukaryotic cell divisions
and bacterial transformation, and polymerase chain reaction.
2. Be able to perform basic molecular biology techniques in DNA manipulation.
3. Be able to use common biological laboratory skills, techniques and instrumentations.
4. Learn how to properly present and process data, interpret data analytically and draw appropriate
conclusions.

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIAL

• Biology 2281 Lab Manual, 2008 by Dr. Lin and Dr. Zhou ( posted at WebCT6 ; Follow all the
instructions on the sign-in page of WebCT to check your computer. Add “webct6.utdallas.edu”
to your trusted sites)
•
1. Open Internet Explore. Select Tools then choose Internet Options. The Internet Options
screen appears.
2. Select the Security tab.
3. Click the Trusted Sites button. Click on Sites button.
4. Type “webct6.utdallas.edu”.
5. Uncheck the option of Require server verification…. Click ADD then OK to finish.

• Printed Lab procedures are required for lab exercises, Adobe reader needed.

COURSE EVALUATION/GRADING SCHEMES

Students may earn a maximum of 500 points. The following table lists the details of assessment items
and the point distributions. The final grades for the course will be assigned as follows: (note partial
grades such us A- or B+ etc will be issued and each letter grade listed below includes these partial
grades)
A: 450-500;
B: 400-449;
C: 350-399;
D: 300-349;
F: 0-299

Assessment Activity Points

Mid-term Exam including lab practical 100
Final Exam including lab practical 110
10 out of 11 Post-Lab Reports (@20 pts each) 200
9 out of 10 Pre-lab/ quizzes (@10 pts each) 90
Total 500

• Post-Lab Reports: Although lab exercises will be done in groups of two or more students, each
student must turn in his or her own typed report for grading. Your report should reflect your
independent processing and presentation of data and answering related questions. Do not copy
material from other students. Do not allow any other student to see or copy your work. Any form of
scholastic dishonesty will not be accepted. Your work will be graded based on neatness, accuracy
and completeness. If you are not physically present during a particular lab, you are not entitled
to turn in a post-lab report for credit. One of the lowest report grades will be dropped.
• Lab Exams: Exams will be given during the scheduled lab periods. Each exam will be composed of
two parts: a lab practical part and a written test. The lab practical part will carry approximately 1/3 of
the total exam grade and will focus on important laboratory techniques. The format of the written test
will be primarily short answers and may include diagrams and illustrations. They are designed to
evaluate your understanding of the basic biological concepts and laboratory methodologies. You are
responsible to study the contents of the lab sessions that you fail to attend.
• Pre-Lab Assignments/Quizzes: Most of the lab exercises will have either pre-lab assignments or
pre-lab quizzes to make sure that you are prepared for the experiment before you come to the lab.
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 You must turn in the completed “Pre-lab Sheet” at the beginning of the scheduled lab. Pre-lab
quizzes will also be administered at the beginning of lab. Students arriving late will not be given extra
time to complete the quiz. One of the lowest quiz grades will be dropped.
• WebCT: All course related lecture notes and other material including announcements, photos of the
lab results, review questions and all of the grades will be promptly posted at WebCT. Please check it
regularly.

COURSE POLICIES
• Attendance and Class Participation: Attendance of all lecture and laboratory sessions ON TIME is
extremely important and thus mandatory, and will be recorded for each lab period. Your
performance in the course is dependent on your attendance, so please make every effort to
attend all classes as scheduled. Moreover, you are also expected to actively participate in all
class activities.

Switching lab sessions after your scheduled lab is over is strictly prohibited. Switching is only
allowed if you have a valid reason such as a medical/graduate school interview or a planned
medical treatment. To get approval for any section switch, you must inform your instructor at
least three days before your planned absence.
• Pre-read: Before you come to each lab, read the procedural handout for background information and
procedures for the experiment you will be doing. This helps you not only do well on the pre-lab
quizzes or pre-lab assignments, but also to save you time and avoid unnecessary mistakes
during the lab.
• Late work:
Any post-lab reports that are late will be assessed a 3-point penalty for each DAY they are late.
• Missed Exam/Quiz
No make-up exam or quiz will be administered.
• Lab Safety: See a separate handout

COURSE OUTLINE/CALENDAR
• THE FIRST FRIDAY MEETING STARTS ON Aug 22 in FN2.102
• There is no lecture on August 29.
• There are no labs on Sept. 1 or Sept. 2.

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Week of Monday or Tuesday Lab Exercises and Pre-Lab or Report Friday Lecture Topic
Exams Quiz Due
Aug 22 Aug. 22: E1 (Dr. Lin)
Aug 25- E1: Bioinformatics No lecture
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Sep1-5 No labs on September 1 or 2 Sept. 5: E2 (Dr. Lin)
Sep 8-12 E2: Microscopy Pre-Lab- E2 R1 Sept. 12: E3 (Dr. Lin)
Sep 15- E3: Microbial Techniques Quiz- E3 R2 Sept 19: E4 (Dr. Zhou)
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Sep 22- E4: Eukaryotic Cell Divisions Quiz- E4 Sept 26: E5 (Dr. Lin)
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Sep 29- E5: Restriction Enzyme Digest and Plasmid Pre-lab E5 R3, R4 Oct 3: E6 (Dr. Zhou)
Oct 3 Mapping (Lab practical- Microbial)
Oct 6-10 Mid-term Exam (E1-E5) including the rest R5 Oct 10: E7 (Dr. Lin)
of the lab practical questions
Oct 13-17 E6: Biochemical Testing of Macromolecules Pre-lab E6 Oct 17: E8 (Dr. Zhou)
E7: Extracting and Amplifying mtDNA Day 1 Quiz -E7
Oct 20-24 E8: Spectrophotometry Pre-lab- E8 R6 Oct 24: E9 (Dr. Lin)
E7: Extracting and Amplifying mtDNA Day 2
Oct 27-31 E9: Bacterial Transformation Quiz- E9 R7, R8 Oct 31: E10 (Dr. Zhou)
Nov 3-7 E10: Enzyme Assay (Quiz 5) Quiz- E10 Nov. 7: E11 (Dr. Zhou)
Nov 10- E11: Protein Separation by Gel Pre-lab- R9, R10 No lecture
14 Electrophoresis E11

Nov 17- Final Lab Exam/Lab Practical (E6-E11) R11

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Abbreviations: E= Experiment; R=Report

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Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and
efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be
knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on
student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered
students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established
due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of
Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the
Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected
to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules.
Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off
campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an
academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative
that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a
general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying
academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This
course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90%
effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between faculty/staff and
students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of
each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent
only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it
originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student
with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of
Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other
accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These dates and
times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's
responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any
student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you
choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the university’s
Handbook of Operating Procedures.
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 In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic
responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor,
supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”).
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be
resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s
School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit
a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may
make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an
Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals
process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff
members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semester’s end
and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8)
weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove
the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a
grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to those of their
non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and
Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to eliminate
discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against
tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment
requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing
impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities.
The college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation. Disability
Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and
needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or
during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to and
observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section
11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence,
preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the
assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum
of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may
receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

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 If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious
holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete
any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief
executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into
account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.

Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University policies and
procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations may be
found at the website address given below. Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
(http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.